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Sunday, July 3, 2011

More Oxford Comma Uproar

Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon chimes in on the Oxford comma uproar. Her article includes the following amusing lines:

'It's true that Oxford's new punctuation guide is only for its P.R. department, and it comes with the clause that "when a comma would assist in the meaning of the sentence or helps to resolve ambiguity, it can be used." The university press, Oxford further hastens to remind us, remains "a commercially and editorially autonomous organization." But the prospect of the beloved Oxford comma being dumped by its own kin seems cruelly ominous. It's like Hugh Hefner saying he's no longer interested in blondes.'

4 comments:

Ryan Brock said...

Thanks for the post! This debate over the whole comma issue is getting out of hand. I posted my response on my own blog, where I call for some more subjectivity in writing. Check it out: http://bit.ly/nRzuTl

Jessica Goodfellow said...

Thanks for the link to your blog, Ryan. As you point out, the stance by Oxford on the Oxford comma really hasn't changed. I agree that writers should use the punctuation they feel is appropriate and not worry about official endorsement, when that is possible (which is isn't always, as when writing for others, even for professors). As for me, I say Long Live the Oxford Comma!

eschorama said...

I agree, Jessica. There will always be a place for the Oxford comma in my grammatical heart.

Jessica Goodfellow said...

Thanks for your comment, James. Oxford Comma Supporters Unite!